Christmas Cards

I'm working on my Christmas cards and, as usual, I'm late.  Yes, I should be working on them now instead of doing this.  But, because the cards will be late, I decided to give a preview.

Ever since Cassie was born, we've done a photo Christmas card.  We were so thrilled to have a child that we had to show her off to everyone.  For Cassie's first Christmas, I had the cards made at Walmart.  I remember arriving at the store and panicking when I realized that her feet were going to show in the photo. She didn't have any shoes!  I had to buy shoes from the baby department and then try to convince her to wear them.  The following year we had a beautiful, vintage photo done by an award-winning photographer.  The picture was gorgeous but expensive.  I ended up going back to Walmart for cheaper cards.  The next year I wised up and realized that I could snap my own photos.  As Christmas approaches each year, I've always been able to find a cute snapshot to use on a card.  The only year that I actually staged a photo was Lacey's first Christmas here.  That year, Cassie had wanted them to have matching outfits for their first year together.

This year, as Christmas-card season approached, I was a bit stressed because I couldn't find that perfect photo.  When I asked family members for help, Cassie said that matching outfits were out of the question.  But, maybe we could find similar outfits for the girls and take a photo in the backyard.  She thought it would be fun to take a picture of herself and Lacey covered in leaves.  While we were debating whether we needed to buy new outfits if they were going to be covered with leaves, Les paid to have the leaves removed from the yard. 

I went back to the cloud, looking at hundreds of photos.  I first considered this one:

Sisters!

I took this photo down the street at the reservoir.  Looking at this picture makes me so happy.  We had met Gladis, Julio and Gaby at the park and the kids were feeding the ducks. It was near the end of summer and it was one of those days when being grubby and sweaty was completely acceptable.  But, upon closer examination, I realized that the photo was a little washed out.  And, it was very similar to last year's card, which featured the girls wearing shorts with a water backdrop.   

The following photo was my next choice:

I snapped this photo when we were sight-seeing with Dave and Beth.  So, I'm not sure if it's really a great photo or if it's the memory of their visit that makes me like this picture.  Upon closer consideration, I decided that it would be a really compelling photo to have posted for Veteran's Day.  But, maybe it didn't send the right message for a Christmas card.

As I continued searching, I found this one.



Hey!  Mom finally let us get a dog!

I took this photo down the street at the park.  It makes me happy because the girls are still willing to walk to the park with me.  This photo also makes me happy because it shows what tremendous willpower I have exercised by not letting the girls have a dog.  Maybe that's not a good sentiment for a card.

I started to ask myself what message I really wanted to convey with a photo.  Well, maybe I wanted to show how gorgeous the girls are and how they're growing up.  I considered this next photo:

Hmmmm.  It was fun when I snapped it.  We were doing our back-to-school shopping.  But, what does it actually convey?  First, an observer's eyes would be drawn to the soda in Lacey's hand.  An informed observer would wonder why I let my kid drink soda when she's had to have two teeth pulled in recent history.  And, what is this, some kind of ad for Nordstrom's? 

I kept searching.  Maybe this next one would be a good choice:

When I look at this photo, I can still smell the roasting peppers and taste the green chili that they produced.  But, that is only meaningful to immediate family members.  Plus, I realized, Cassie's gorgeous locks don't show.

Moving on, I considered this one:


Greetings from Downtown Disney!

I scrutinized this photo carefully.  It just screams, "Hey.  We made it to Orlando this year!"  Maybe that's an okay message to send.  I mean, it does say that as a family we set aside time to take a vacation together.  And, the girls look pretty nice in this picture.  But, did I really want to send a picture that highlighted a bunch of plastic figurines?

I began to give up on the idea of finding an appropriate picture of the girls together.  Maybe I would do something different this year and make a card featuring photos of them alone.  The girls really are such individuals.  Take a look at these shopping photos:

Yes, I'm a diva!

Hey, look what I found!

And, what about these photos from Orlando?  They definitely show personality.


The Princess!

 

The Minion!

 



 

 

Yes, I look fabulous!



I look fabulous too!

We had some cute restaurant photos . . .

 

Seriously, Mom?  You're taking another photo?

 

Can you say Butter Beer?  And, no, I don't need a napkin.

As cute as those photos were I didn't really want solo photos.  I wanted a "sisters" photo.  I spent some more time thinking about want I really wanted the Christmas card to say.  And, while I was snapping photos of the girls goofing around up at the cabin, I found it.  With a fast shutter speed, I captured one brief second of their lives that says it all.  It's not just the perfect photo, it's the message too.  Here is what  our card really needs to say.  "Merry Christmas!  We are happy and healthy. We wish the same for you."

So, may I present. . . . our 2014 Christmas card photo!

Christmas 2014